


Miscalculation

by Muusad



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Gen, Genderswap, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 02:53:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17890142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Muusad/pseuds/Muusad
Summary: The Wolbachia treatment did not go as planned.





	Miscalculation

Ocelot glanced at his watch and, instead of heaving a sigh, resumed pacing back and forth on the upper deck of the command platform.

Five minutes to go until the five-day mark.

That’s how long it had been since anyone had seen the Boss. Miller had been able to convince the rest of Diamond Dogs that Snake was just planning his next excursion, but that excuse would only hold for so long.

Three minutes.

Morale was down, which was understandable; a group like this survived because of the one they collectively followed, and for him not to offer even the slightest glimpse… Nothing had happened yet, but if this situation were allowed to continue... Well. Best not to let things get to that point.

Ocelot nodded his thanks as one of the R&D team, what was her name… Gecko, brought him a report on their progress, and chose not to address the worried look in her eye. Another job that Snake had used to handle.

One minute.

Pequod had confirmed that he’d not taken any trips since he returned with Snake and some the most recent rescued prisoners, and his unit quietly searching (the berets had been removed for this, much to his dismay) the base had turned up nothing. He’d even gone and asked Quiet if she’d seen or would help find the Boss, but she’d just given him a look and gone back to sunning herself or whatever she got up to when not on a mission.

His watch beeped, signaling the start of the fifth day, and he allowed himself the sigh that he’d held back thus far.

“DD!”

An excited bark and much scrabbling of nails on metal later and the panting dog was sitting in front of him, tail wagging madly.

“DD, I need you to find him.”

The hound’s head cocked to the side, one ear flopping over.

“Snake, DD! Where’s Snake?” His tone was playful in the hopes that the dog would treat it like a game, and he allowed himself a grin when DD barked in understanding before heading back down the stairs.

“’Ocelots training hounds,’ heh.”

* * *

 

It took several hours, but DD eventually lead him to a secluded room on the furthest Support platform.

He tried the handle; locked. A press of the unlock button resulted only in a beep that managed to sound slightly sarcastic. Finally, he pounded on the door.

“Snake, it’s me!” an annoyed back from his side prompted him to amend, “Us!”

The door slid open and he was able to see inside to a dim room filled with smoke, through which he could see the back of Snake’s head in front of an open window, and the glow of the iDroid that had been used as a door remote winking out. He took a cautious step inside even as DD rushed forward and settled himself at Snake’s side, the mechanical arm having coming to scratch at ears.

Ocelot waved his hand in front of his face to clear away the haze from the many, many cigars he suspects have been smoked here recently.

“Snake, if you wanted some private time to enjoy your birthday gift, ya just had to say so. No need to hide yourself away.”

The only answer is another draw on the cigar.

By now his eyes had mostly adjusted to the gloom, and there’s a niggling feeling in the back of his mind that something is wrong, but he can’t quite place it.

“The men miss you, you know. Why not come on out and say hello, maybe knock a couple of the new ones around a bit to give them a taste of CQC? It’s good to be seen.”

His quarry turned to face him, and he experienced a moment of pure, unbridled shock. His eyes raced from feature to feature, cataloging what had changed and what was achingly familiar. A quick glance showed DD casually leaning against a leg, a behavior the dog has only ever demonstrated with one person. His astonishment clearly showed on his face if the amusement he saw was any indication.

Snake takes another drag with eyes closed in appreciation before meeting Ocelot’s gaze once more. “Guess it’s not in my head then, huh?”

Ocelot gestured incredulously at Snake’s - now female - body, “You thought this was a hallucination?”

“You know I see things that aren’t there, and sometimes…”

“Paz.”

“Exactly.”

Time passed in silence, and Ocelot found himself sitting on the bed, his mind racing as he tried to evaluate all of the possible repercussions, and so he’s startled as she - and isn’t that something - spoke up once more.

“You’re taking this well.”

“Snake, since Tselinoyarsk I’ve seen a lot of strange things; this, however… Well, I’m not quite sure how to react to this.”

Snake hummed in assent, then turned toward him once more, putting out the cigar in the palm of a metal hand. Their eyes meet and, just like that, a plan is made.

“Code talker?”

“Code talker,” she grinds out, and the new voice is somehow all the more menacing.

With DD leading the way once more, they headed out.

* * *

To Ocelot’s mind there had been a silent understand between Snake and himself. They would emerge together from her fortress of solitude, blink away the bright light that came with midday on a platform in the middle of an ocean, and then proceed together towards Code Talker and answers.

Things had started out promising: there had been the proper amount of squinting at the sun and grumbling at the fact that, now that they were both standing, it was clear that where before they had been of a height Snake was now noticeably the shorter of the two. He stepped aside to make way for an oncoming delivery truck, mind racing as to just how he was going to explain Snake, only to turn and discover that she was no longer there. DD was also nowhere to be found.

The suddenness of the disappearance was so abrupt that he wondered for a brief moment if it were he, and not Snake, that was prone to hallucinations. A cursory check of his surroundings yielded no results, and the only sound was that of the ocean.  
“You always were sneaky, Boss,” he said to the ocean. After a moment’s pause, “guess I should make a call.” The iDroid was swiftly retrieved and powered on, and shortly afterward there was a brief moment of static followed by a click.

  
“This is Kazuhira.”

  
“Ocelot.”

  
“Did you find him?”

  
He allowed himself a wry grin. “In a manner of speaking.”

  
There is the sound of a hand slamming down onto a desk, “This isn’t the time for games, or have you forgotten that our Boss is missing!”

  
“Deep breaths, Miller; I found Snake.”

  
“Then why not simply say ‘yes,’ then!”

  
The question was promptly considered and discarded. Instead,”we’re meeting up with Code Talker, you should come on down.”

  
“The Old Timer? Alright, Ocelot, but I expect answers.”

  
Ocelot terminated the call and stuffed the device back in its pocket. His face lost any lingering traces of levity as he resumed walking with purpose, the clinking of his spurs somehow instilling in those he passed a feeling of dread.

  
“Oh, there will be answers.”


End file.
